Toothpick-dispensing device.



W. 1. NcINTYRE. TOOTHPiCK DISPENSING DEVICE. APPLICATIUN FILED OCT. 5, 1911.

Patented-July 16, 1918.

ing the receptacle tilted;

UNITED STATES PATE Q WTL'LIAM JOHN MGINTYRE, OF HANNAH, NORTH DAKOTA.

'I'OOTHPICK-DISPENSING DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that VVILLIAM J. MOINTYRE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hannah, in the county of Cavalier and State of North Dakota, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toothpick-Dispensing Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to dispensing devices, and particularly to devices for dispensing matches, tooth pickS, and like objects.-

The general object of the invention is to providea construction of this character so formed that upon an oscillation of the container in one direction, one tooth pick or like article will be'projected from the container, so that it maybe withdrawn therefrom. g

A further object is to provide a device of this character in which the container or carton carrying the tooth picks, matches, etc, is constructed in two sections, the sections being so the articles will be firmly held within the carton or container and that when opened, a rotation of the carton will act to project a single tooth pick. match or other article.

A further object is to provide a device or this characterinwhich the'carton is formed with a slot for a portion of its length, and a fulcrum member is disposed adjacent the end of the slot, so that upon a rotation of the carton around its longeraxis, the tooth pick or other article will roll down onto the fulcrum member and upon a reverserotation of the carton or container, will engage with the fulcrum member, be come overbalanced, and cause the projection of the short/end of the article through said slot; 7

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description. 7

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein z Figure 1 is an elevation of my tooth pick dispensing device partly in section;

Fig. 2 is an end-elevation of; he device partly in section; l I

Fig. 3 is a like View to Fig. 2, but show- Fig. at. isa perspective view of aslightly modified construction of carton; and

two carton sections.

Specification of Letters Patent.

, tending arranged that when they are closed,-

the tooth pi ck Figs. 5 and 6 are similar-views of the Patented July 16, 1918.

Application filed-October 6, 1917. Serial No. 195,084.

device cons sts of a rectangular casing having any deslred width and depth and having a length approximately that of a tooth pick,

this container or receptacle being preferablv made of sheet metal and being designated generally 10. The ends of the container are provided with trunnions 11 which engage in suitable bearings formed upon upwardly 6X- brackets or ears 12 extending upward from a suitable base 13, which may be made heavy or which may be attached by screws to a table, counter or other support. Normally the receptacle will be supported as illustrated in Fig. 2. container is designated lt and is made of sheet metal and slides into place in the side :walls of the receptacle, these side walls being formed with suitable guideways 15 to receive the top 1 1. This top 1 1 is cut away adjacent its inner edge as at 16 for a distance approximately oneha.lf of the container, this cut-away slightly greater than the diameterof a: tooth pick, match or other article being dispensed.

Mounted upon the front wall 17 of the portion having a width The top of the container is a strip of metal 18, one'portion of which is bent to contact with the front wall and the upper portion of which is bent laterally inward or deflected as at 19, this strip forming a with the tooth pick as ,will'be later explained. The distance between the upper end of the portion 19 and the top His just great enough to. permit a tooth pick to slip in between the top of the portion 19 and the cover 14. The carton is illustrated in .Fig. 1, and is designated 2-0. This carton, .may

be made of pasteboard and of a size to're'adily be disposed within the receptacle 10 and the carton is cut away as at 21 upon one face to allow the unbalancing of the one end of the tooth pick so as to permit fulcrum for engagement tooth pick to protrude out of theopcning so" as to be grasped by the fingers (see-- Fig;

In the practical use carton is placed within the receptacle. The receptacle is then slipped into the metal sup? port, that is, between the-ears or brackets 12 of this device, the

withits trunnions engaged in proper bean" ing recesses formed in the brackets and then the dei'ice 1s read for use. Whena tooth pickis wanted, the receptacle is'rotated for ward causing the tooth picks to roll forward and one of the tooth picks will engage with. the fulcrum formed by the strip 18 and its deflected portion 19, This fulcrum is so disposed that the tooth pick willlic'unhalanced and upon releasing the receptacl it will re 7 turn to the position shown in Fig 2 and one end. the tooth pick will be caused to. pro; ject'buttl'irough the slot or" cut-away portion formed in the cover in the manner illus-' trated in Fig. 1, whereupon the tooth pick may be readily grasped and "pulled out. Each'time that the container or receptacle is rotated forward upon its trunnions, a new toothpick will he engaged'by the 'ful'crtnn in. the manner described"and'brought into a position' tobe, delivered. 7

WhilefiIrFigs."1, 2 and S have shown a container within which a 'cartonof matches is to be placed,' I 'preferably'use the carton itself container for matches; tooth'picks" or the like, this carton being made in two sections, as illustrated in F ig's'; 4 we. In these figures; designates one section of the carton, which ispreferablyformed of metal, though *it 'may' he made ofother' mater al, Whichifhas a length "slightly greatefthan' the article to be dispensed, for instance"; slightlygreater than a bundle of tooth picks; and which is 'prov'ided With'the fiye 'Walls',-" 2tldesign'atingthe.side'walls and 25 the end Walls: Thesideqwalls and end walls are separated from each-other by slits 26. The other'isection of the carton illustrated in F int; haSia front wall 27, end Walls 28, a side:"wa11 l'29, and' an opposite sidewall 30'. These endand side Wall's are all preferablyl separatedfromeach other by slitting the metali. The side wall 30,at'its junction with thetwall'2 9, is cut-away to provide a longitudinallyext'ending slot 3l, which is ap proximately. one-half the length of the ear ton," and disposed] on the inside. 5 face of the the slot Wall 29fheneaththe closed end of 31,..isithe'-fulcrumfn1ember"32.;

N 0W whenthe two sectlons'o'f the carton are engagedfwithqeach other, they form ple as the; constructi 1 r illustrated in Figs. '1t03.1i"' r T picker other artiele thro'ughctheTslot..31' v y mov'ed bylthe 'finger's of the operator. In.

downward; then the tooth picksaor other an ticles williroll against the wall 30 and one of the tooth picks will engage over the fill-j, crum 32; Now upon a'reverse movement of the. carton, the toothpick whieh is engaged with? theffulcrum 32; will becomehunhal other words,

the construction illustrated in 1 isprecisely the same: i'nlprinci- \r The carton is made in tWo sections having telescoplcjor sliding engagement with each.

one of the tooth the slot 31 is obvious. for'th'e' :t'ree passage of p or tooth picks at a time,'"a'i1d tlie slot is carton, so that the slo of the contents to fall supplying'each 1 dispensed and I Wisliit 7 term container as used in the. appended 1- meant, .to. include, not only; .a re:- 1

carton may be!" d, buta carton 7 alone or mounted inthe. receptacle Itw"ill;.

other,...so that. the two sections may be either forced into close engagement with each other,,. to thereby hold thecontents of the carton tightly packed and place and close theslot 3 1 or so that the carton may be enlarged, thus giving the contents ample roo n to roll; within the carton and, carry, picks into engagement with the fulcrum member 32, before described. When the two sections of the carton are pressed together, the'slot 31 is closedby the wall'24g thus preventing the escape of the article. When the sections of thecarton are: drawn apart, however, to put the ca tonlin. shape for "dispensing the article, ."then the slot 31 isdisclos'ed The "abject of forming slightly less than one-halfthe length of the t Will not anew any out. Thatpart' carton adjacent the end ofthe slot acts as a support to keep the articlebeiiig dispensed from tilting "too much, and 'thus'slidi-ng on" the fulcrum heob'ject in one corner/that carton 1s to d spensewlth placing this opening along the necessity of carton withineans :torstand ing the matches or tooth picks, that is, hold ing them in a posit-ion parallel' 'toithelonger axis of the carton. The side 29 of'the'carton' acts in this case as a standing. m'enibeni' as" any matches which are the axis will be caused roll against the side of the carton. ton of this character may dispensing tooth picks by the. hand or it may be Alcar be either u'sedfor rotatlng it Within- "p airie One? of t matches or the I V and making it difficult tube" grasped the lingers;

is,' adjacent one side" of the "f turnedi dia onally to j to shift into parallel position when the matches or tooth picks disposed in" a's'uitable stand forsuch rotation, the "stand being "of such form as. to engage the ends'lof the carton tor a rotative movement of the. carton. It' will be noted that inboth forms of my device there is a container withinwhichthe matches are placed and by Which they are understood that the ceptacle within which a placed. and entirely inclose be obvious that the principle of my inven tion may be applied.iniayarietyrdf formsx nally extending. slot. 7 tated, and meansrmounted onthewall of the device "com-prising. .jan; article container. provided, with a .lon itudir anda dapted, to i cities, 7

container adjacent said slot with which one of the articles is adapted to engage when the holder is rotated to a predetermined position whereby said article will be segregated from the remaining articles and supported for gravity movement when the holder is returned to its normal position to cause said article to project 'outwardly through the opening.

2. A dispensing device comprising an article conveyer adapted to be rotated and provided with a longitudinally extending slot and a relatively fixed fulcrum member mounted on the wall of the container adjacent said slot and adapted to be engaged by one of the articles when the holder is rotated to a predetermined position, whereby said article is segregated from the remaining articles when the holder is returned to its normal position, said article in the latter position of the holder rocking upon the fulcrum to cause one end of the article to proj ect outwardly through said opening.

3. A dispensing device comprising a container rectangular in cross section and having a length approximately equal to the length of the article to be dispensed, there being a slot formed at one corner of the container, the slot having a length less than onehalf the length of the container and a fulcrum member mounted upon one wall of the container and below said slot and having an offset portion disposed in spaced relation to the holder and with its end in spaced rela tion to the wall in which the slot is formed, and adapted to receive one of the articles when the holder is rotated to a predetermined posit-ion whereby when the holder is returned to its normal position, the article will rock upon the fulcrum to project one end thereof outwardly through the slot.

4. A dispensing device comprising a container consisting of two sections having interfitting telescopic engagement with each other, the container when the sections are engaged being approximately rectangular in cross section, one of said sections being provided upon one wall with a slot, the slot being disposed at the corner of the section, and in alinement with the wall extending at right angles to the first named wall, this slot being adapted to. be exposed when the sections of the container are slightly separated from each other, and a fulcrum member fixed to the second named wall below the inner end of the slot and having a free end portion disposed contiguous to the wall in which the slot is formed, said member being adapted to receive one of the articles inthe container when the container is rotated to a predetermined position, sa1d article rocking by Copies of this patent may be obtained for gravity upon said fulcrum member and having one end projected through the slot when the container is reversely rotated to another predetermined position.

5. A dispensing device comprising a rotatably supported holder having a slot in one wall, a carton adapted to be arranged within said holder and also having a slot coinciding with the slot in the holder wall, and a fulcrum member having an offset portion disposed within the carton in spaced relation to the wall thereof and adapted to receive one of the articles when the holder is rotated to a predetermined position whereby, when the holder is returned to its-normal position, the article will rock upon the fulcrum to project one end thereof outwardly through said openings.

6. A dispensing device comprising a support, a holder rotatably mounted in the support and having a slot in one wall, in combination with a carton consisting of two sections having interfitting telescopic engagement with each other, one of said sections being provided with a slot adapted to be exposed when the carton sections are slightly separated from each other, said carton being adapted for arrangement in the holder with said slot in coinciding relation with the slot in the wall of the holder, and means to segregate one of the articles in the carton from the remaining articles when the holder is rotated to a predetermined position and cause said article to project outwardly through the coinciding slots when the holder is returned to its normal position.

7. A carton consisting of two rectangular, telescopically engaged sections, the inner section being provided with a slot extending along one of its longitudinal corners, said slot being closed by the wall of the outer section when the carton sections are completely telescoped and said slot exposed when the carton sections are slightly separated, and a fulcrum member fixed to one wall of the inner carton section and having a free end portion disposed contiguous to said slot,

said member being adapted to receive one of the articles in the carton when the carton is disposed in a predetermined position, whereby the article will mOVe by gravity and project at one of its ends outwardly through the slot when the carton is disposed in another predetermined position.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WVILLIAM JOHN MoI NTYRE.

Witnesses:

EDGAR A. DE FOREST, 1. EMPENGER.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

